1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to providing an image apparatus and a method for transmitting audio data, and more particularly, to providing an image apparatus which transmits audio data to and receives audio data from audio/video apparatuses in a serial transmission manner, and a method for transmitting audio data using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, audio signals are transmitted between audio/video (A/V) apparatuses in an analog manner or a digital manner. Recently, serial transmission, which is one form of digital transmission, has become widely used. Serial transmission includes the Audio Engineering Society/European Broadcasting Union (AES/EBU), Sony Philips Digital Interface (SPDIF), and High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) protocols.
Audio data having a format which can be transmitted according to the SPDIF and HDMI protocols include decompressed audio data, such as Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) data, and audio data compressed using various compression formats, such as the Audio Coding-3 (AC3), Digital Theater System (DTS), and Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) formats. In such conventional serial transmission formats, audio data in a single format are transmitted over a single physical transmission line.
FIG. 1 illustrates a related art audio data transmission/reception system.
The audio data transmission/reception system includes a first source apparatus 10, a second source apparatus 30, a third source apparatus 50, an image apparatus 70, and a home theater 90.
The first source apparatus 10, the second source apparatus 30, and the third source apparatus 50 provide video and audio data. Specifically, the first source apparatus 10 provides audio data compressed using the MPEG format, the second source apparatus 30 provides audio data compressed using the DTS format, and the third source apparatus 50 provides audio data compressed using the AC3 format.
The image apparatus 70 displays video data provided by the first source apparatus 10, the second source apparatus 30, and the third source apparatus 50 on a screen. If the image apparatus 70 has only an MPEG decoding function, the image apparatus 70 decodes audio data provided by the first source apparatus 10, and outputs sound to a speaker which is mounted in the image apparatus 70. If the image apparatus 70 transmits the audio data provided by the first source apparatus 10 to the home theater 90, the home theater 90 outputs the audio data as sound corresponding to video data displayed on the image apparatus 70.
However, since the image apparatus 70 does not have a function for decoding audio data provided by the second source apparatus or the third source apparatus 50, the image apparatus 70 cannot output sound to the speaker and transmit the audio data to the home theater 90. Accordingly, the user must personally connect the second source apparatus 30 and the third source apparatus 50 to the home theater 90 so that the home theater 90 can output the audio data from the second source apparatus 30 and the third source apparatus 50 as sound.
Alternatively, if the second source apparatus 30 and the third source apparatus 50 perform DTS decoding and AC3 decoding directly and provide the image apparatus 70 with the decoded audio data, the image apparatus 70 can output sound corresponding to the decoded audio data to the speaker or transmit the decoded audio data to the home theater 90.
Alternatively, if the image apparatus 70 further has a decoder which performs DTS decoding and AC3 decoding, the audio data from the second source apparatus 30 and the third source apparatus 50 can be output to the speaker. If the image apparatus 70 does not have such a decoder and there is no home theater 90, the user cannot listen to the sound of the audio data provided by the second source apparatus 30 and the third source apparatus 50.
As described above, since audio data of a single format can be transferred between the source apparatuses 10, 30, and 50 and the image apparatus 70 over a single physical transmission route, if audio data which cannot be decoded by the image apparatus 70 are transmitted from the source apparatuses 10, 30, and 50, the user cannot listen to the sound through the speaker or is inconvenienced in connecting an external device such as the home theater 90 to the source apparatuses 10, 30, and 50. Alternatively, the image apparatus 70 may be required to include more decoders which can decode compressed audio data provided by the source apparatuses 10, 30, and 50, so the price of the image apparatus 70 increases.
Therefore, there is a need for transmitting audio data more conveniently.